tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190794791790101691.post2474858035687850711..comments2023-07-08T20:30:18.584+01:00Comments on Grand Duchess Elizabeth And Other Stories: Helen's Nose, Willy's ArmChristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00714569232976515363noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190794791790101691.post-26699466111865724372010-01-27T16:04:43.028+00:002010-01-27T16:04:43.028+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00714569232976515363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190794791790101691.post-55691933634288755792010-01-27T16:04:32.053+00:002010-01-27T16:04:32.053+00:00Hello doctorhuw, I am sorry, I cannot remember whe...Hello doctorhuw, I am sorry, I cannot remember where exactly I first read/heard the quotation about Helen's nose, I just remember it making a big impact on me! It surely must be from the author you have mentioned so thank you for filling in more details about it!Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00714569232976515363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190794791790101691.post-91957236820985829682010-01-27T11:18:19.915+00:002010-01-27T11:18:19.915+00:00I've never come across a reference to Helen of...I've never come across a reference to Helen of Troy's nose before, but it did ring a faint bell. Do you by any chance mean E. H. Carr's illustration of Montesquieu's "chance causation" theory of history - his example being that had Cleopatra's nose not been perfect and caused her to infatuate Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony then the Roman Empire might never have been established by the war between Anthony and Augustus? It was a theory that he went on to argue against, incidentally.<br /><br />Reference: E. H. Carr's <i>What is History</i> (second edition London 1990) pp. 101-108Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190794791790101691.post-83492861740829674612010-01-25T20:28:34.090+00:002010-01-25T20:28:34.090+00:00Thank you Viola and Cheryl for your interesting co...Thank you Viola and Cheryl for your interesting comments :-)<br /><br />I believe that Vicky felt in some way responsible for Willy's withered arm and her letters to Queen Victoria about it suggest that she felt deeply for all he suffered because of it. Although she was a perfectionist who did not often praise her children, it seems that in Willy's mind his arm was responsible for his failure to please her (though she was equally critical of Henry and Charlotte, too) and that he also blamed her for it. As you say, Viola, his grandparents and Bismarck deliberately set out to create a bigger rift between them - and succeeded!<br /><br />Cheryl, I agree that Willy treated his mother appallingly not only at the death of Fritz, but also when she was dying and he refused to allow her to see English doctors or to be prescribed increased doses of morphine. It must have been heart-breaking for her because I believe she really loved all her children (her 'baby-worship' as Queen Victoria put it) even though she did not always express her affection to the elder ones (partly, too, I think because she was so young when they born - still virtually a child herself).<br /><br />Thank you so much for such interesting comments!Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00714569232976515363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190794791790101691.post-65179891457189690942010-01-25T18:33:49.816+00:002010-01-25T18:33:49.816+00:00If Vicky did treat him poorly, he certainly made u...If Vicky did treat him poorly, he certainly made up for it in his treatment of her, especially toward the end of this life. If his arm had not been withered, their family life at least would have been more pleasant. <br /><br />It's hard to say how a more contented kaiser might have impacted the world at the turn of the century. As the adage goes, "For want of a nail, the kingdom was lost." As an eternal optimist, I have to believe that one person can make a difference.Cheryl Ciucevichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00388994160381820590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190794791790101691.post-37389676496140499142010-01-25T05:41:08.187+00:002010-01-25T05:41:08.187+00:00Hello Christina,
I have read that Wilhelm was a g...Hello Christina,<br /><br />I have read that Wilhelm was a great disappointment to his mother because of his withered arm. She was a perfectionist and, couldn't stand his disability. Her favourite son died very young and this greatly affected her.<br /><br />I do think that Wilhelm was partly responsible for the war, at least. He was jealous of the power of GB and very keen on entering a naval race with them. He was also influenced by his grandfather, Bismarck and the military to dislike his parents and their liberal policies. He certainly didn't mean to have a war with GB but he finally went too far.<br /><br />I am not sympathetic with Wilhelm. He treated his mother shamefully and he annoyed everybody.<br /><br />I do think that things might have been different if he hadn't had a withered arm because his mother would have treated him differently and he wouldn't have had such an inferiority comples.Violahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08046603677301666579noreply@blogger.com